On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 11:57:06 GMT, "Jason"
mused:


"Cap'n" wrote in message
oups.com...
...
The reason it's hapend is because some plum has rammed too many cables
in one terminal without securing them adequately and this has resulted
in arcing and burning, which has eventually got to this stage by
gradually becoming worse and worse as more arcing occurs and the
resistance builds up every time you use the lights.

Can anyone offer advice?

Call an electrician.
--
Regards,
Stuart.

Too optimistic to assume cutting back the wires & connecting them back
up the same way (making sure all's secure) would work?

I don't think there is a lot more you could do. When replacing the wires,
make sure they are all firmly and evenly twisted together, so they make good
contact with each other, regardless of how tight the screwn is.

Not good practice to twist all the wires together. There should be no
problems with not having them twisted together as long as the switch
is fitted properly. Twisiting all the wires together weakens the
conductors.
--
Regards,
Stuart.